"Neta Raanan is a saxophonist and composer raised in New Jersey. In her youth, Neta was drawn to the mysterious black and white photos of Thelonious Monk and Lester Young perched on the walls of the record stores in New York. She began attending creative music workshops across the east coast, participating in youth ensembles, and frequenting local venues like the Village Vanguard where she was exposed to artists like Paul Motian, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and others.

Neta continued to nurture her musicianship during her education at Berklee College of Music, gathering influences and approaches from a diverse and profound community of teachers and peers. Since earning her Masters in Music degree, Neta has been pursuing a life in creative music. Her collaborations supporting other artists span across genres, ranging from jazz to avant garde, to folk music to accompanying hip-hop artists and singer/songwriters, and mixed medium productions."

"Max Johnson is a bassist, composer and bandleader based in New York City. Known for his big sound, eclectic style and prolific output, Johnson has made a name in both the jazz and improvised music world, playing with legendary luminaries Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Muhal Richard Abrams, among others, in addition to becoming a first call bluegrass bassist, playing with legends Sam Bush, David Grisman, the Traveling McCourys & Tony Trischka. With 6 albums, and over fifteen hundred concerts under his belt, Johnson has proven to be an unparalleled force on the bass, and a unique, exhilarating voice as a composer.

Growing up in Hoboken, New Jersey, Johnson learned about music at an early age from his father, Glenn Johnson, drummer/composer of the band Leisure Class. At age 13, Max took up the electric bass, and after performing with local bands in Montclair, NJ, he joined the School of Rock in 2004, where he had the incredible opportunity to tour internationally and perform with Jon Anderson, John Wetton, the Butthole Surfers, Adrian Belew, Vernon Reid, Andrew W.K., Ronnie Spector, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and a long list of others. Johnson then attended the New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music in 2008, where he studied bass with masters Henry Grimes, Mark Helias, Reggie Workman, Cameron Brown & Marji Danilow; and composition with Jane Ira Bloom, Tim Berne & Bill Kirchner. While studying there, he began performing professionally in New York City, building a name for himself as a bassist and bandleader in the improvised music world, and a first call bass player in the bluegrass scene. Johnson continued his education at Vermont College of Fine Arts, where he recieved his Master's degree in classical composition under Jonathan Bailey Holland, John Mallia and Roger Zahab.

Although young in age, Johnson has already crafted a unique sound and vision as an improviser, and is rich in experience, having performed with John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, Muhal Richard Abrams, Nels Cline, Candido Camero, Henry Grimes, William Parker, Butch Morris, Karl Berger, Bobby Sanabria, Sylvie Courvoisier, Erik Friedlander, Mary Halvorson, Joseph Jarman, Kenny Wollesen, Elliott Sharp, Angelica Sanchez, and many others. As a bassist with a non-stop touring schedule, Johnson has performed over one thousand concerts throughout North America and Europe, including top festivals and performing arts centers such as Lincoln Center, the United Nations, Lollapalooza, Quebec City Festival, Bern Jazz Festival, and many others. Max Johnson has been featured as a sideman on over twenty-five recordings, including the platinum-selling Night Castle by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

An active bandleader, Max Johnson has six records to his name: Elevated Vegetation (FMR), The Invisible Trio & Something Familiar (Fresh Sound-New Talent), featuring Kirk Knuffke on cornet & Ziv Ravitz on drums; The Prisoner (NoBusiness) featuring Ingrid Laubrock, Mat Maneri & Tomas Fujiwara; and Quartet (NotTwo), with Mark Whitecage on alto saxophone and clarinet, Steve Swell on trombone, and Tyshawn Sorey on drums. Big Eyed Rabbit, his collaborative trio with Ross Martin and Jeff Davis, also released their debut album in 2014, Big Eyed Rabbit (NotTwo). His albums have been positively reviewed in the New York Times, NYC Jazz Record, JazzTimes, and other publications. El Intruso International Critic's Poll voted Max Johnson #1 Newcomer Musician in the 2012, and #2 Bassist and #4 Musician of the year in their 2014 poll."

"Eliza Salem is an up-and-coming young jazz drummer. She is currently based in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she is pursuing a jazz degree from the University of Michigan. Part of the next generation of improvisers, she is always working to expand her traditional and modern jazz repertoire and find ways to play "outside the box." Salem is a Metro DC native who learned her craft in the Washington area's vibrant musical and cultural scene under the guidance of mentors Paul Carr and Chris Allen. She draws inspiration from the broader East Coast community's jazz tradition, and has performed at historic DC and Baltimore jazz venues such as Columbia Station, An Die Musik, the Keystone Korner, Twins, and Jojo's. For the past two years, Salem has studied under Michael Gould and Sean Dobbins at U-M's School of Music, and worked closely with professors Ellen Rowe, Dennis Wilson and Robert Hurst. She has performed with the University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble, the Newport Foundation's Generations Jazz Assembly Band, and various other student groups in Ann Arbor and Detroit. Salem is the new concert coordinator at Ann Arbor's renowned music venue Canterbury House [...]"